Tag Archives: Toronto Real Estate Board

TORONTO, May 16, 2014 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that “Sales reported by Greater Toronto REALTORS® were up strongly during the first two weeks of May in comparison to the same time last year. However, new listings were down slightly over the same period, which means competition between buyers continued to increase and price growth remained very strong.”

There were 5,185 sales reported through the TorontoMLS system during the first two weeks of May 2014. This result was up by 19.6 per cent in comparison to the first 14 days of May 2013. Sales increased for low rise home types, including single-detached and semi-detached homes and townhouses, as well as for condominium apartments.

The growth in sales was also widespread geographically, with the number of transactions up in the City of Toronto and surrounding regions.

The average selling price for the first two weeks of May was $590,132 – up 8.9 per cent compared to the average of $542,074 reported for transactions during the same period in May 2013.

Price growth was strongest for detached homes in the City of Toronto, where demand remained very strong relative to the short supply of listings. While the condominium apartment market segment remained well-supplied, there was enough demand to prompt above-inflation price growth.

“While tight market conditions continue to prompt strong year-over-year increases in the average selling price, it is important to point out that the monthly cost of home ownership – mortgage principal and interest, property taxes and utilities – has not trended upward as strongly. Strong price growth has been mitigated to a large degree by low borrowing costs,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

Source: TREB (Toronto Real Estate Board)

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TORONTO, May 6, 2014 – Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that during April – the first full month of spring – Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported a 1.8 per cent year-over-year increase in sales through the TorontoMLS system. Total April 2014 sales amounted to 9,706, compared to 9,535 transactions in April 2013.

“April marked the beginning of the spring market, during which time we generally see the highest monthly sales totals in a given year. Despite the persistent shortage of listings, a substantial number of GTA residents were able to come to terms on a home that met their needs. However, sales levels would have been higher, but for the lack of supply,” said Ms. Usher.

“A number of factors underlie the constrained supply of listings. Studies and polling suggest that the additional upfront land transfer tax in the City of Toronto has prompted some households to stay put and renovate rather than list their home and move. In the broader GTA context, above-trend home sales in the years leading up to the recession have meant that many households who purchased during this period simply aren’t ready to move again,” continued Ms. Usher.

The average selling price for April 2014 sales was $577,898 – up by 10.1 per cent compared to the April 2013 average of $524,868. The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) Composite Benchmark was up by seven per cent year-over-year. The MLS® HPI strips away price fluctuations resulting from a change in the mix of home types sold from one period to the next.

“Price growth for the GTA as a whole was driven by the single-detached, semi-detached and townhouse market segments in the City of Toronto. So far this year, there has been no relief on the listings front for these home types in many neighbourhoods in Toronto and surrounding regions. Until we see a marked and sustained increase in listings, we should expect to see the annual rate of price growth above the long-term norm,” said Jason Mercer, the Toronto Real Estate Board’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

TORONTO, April 17, 2014 – Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that the spring market started off on a strong note in the Greater Toronto Area, with a 10.8 per cent year-over-year sales increase reported by Greater Toronto REALTORS® during the first two weeks of April. Sales through the TorontoMLS system over this period amounted to 4,541 units.

“The robust increase in sales speaks to the fact that home ownership remains affordable in the GTA. The majority of home buyers purchase a home using a mortgage. A household earning the average income in the GTA can comfortably afford a mortgage on an average priced home,” said Ms. Usher.

“While the persistent listings shortage in the GTA, coupled with strong demand, has led to a brisk pace of price growth, very low advertised mortgage rates have gone a long way to mitigating the effect of upward trending home prices,” continued Ms. Usher. The average selling price for April mid-month sales was $583,697, representing an annual increase of 11 per cent. This increase was due to both tight market conditions and a change in the mix of homes sold. At month-end, the MLS® HPI benchmark price will provide more insight into price growth attributable solely to the change in market conditions.

“The overall average price increase was driven by single-detached, semi-detached and townhouse sales in the City of Toronto. There was a substantial increase in higher-end home sales this year compared to last,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

“This time last year, many would-be home buyers and sellers were still on the sidelines due to changes in federal mortgage lending guidelines, including those guideline changes that removed the government guarantee on mortgage insurance on home sales over one million dollars. However, many of these households have subsequently adjusted to the lending guideline changes and have recently purchased a home,” continued Mercer.

TORONTO, April 15, 2014 – Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that strong growth in rental transactions and rental listings was reported by Greater Toronto REALTORS® during the first quarter of 2014. For condominium apartments in particular, total rental transactions were up by 17.8 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2013. The total number of units listed was up by an even greater 27.7 per cent.

“Renters took advantage of an increased supply of investor-owned units listed for rent in the first quarter. These units, with modern finishes, choice amenities and locations in popular neighbourhoods attracted a growing number of renter households, including young professionals moving close to work in downtown Toronto and new comers to Canada who initially chose to rent,” said Ms. Usher.

One-bedroom units accounted for approximately 60 per cent of total condominium apartment rentals in Q1 2014. The average one-bedroom rent was down by 1.6 per cent to $1,573. Two-bedroom condominium apartments accounted for 36 per cent of transactions. The average two-bedroom rent was up by 1.9 per cent to $2,155.

“The condominium apartment rental market has become better supplied over the past 12 months as a number of new projects reached the completion stage. While rental demand has remained strong, and many investor-owned rental units have been absorbed, the increase in supply has given prospective renters more choice, so the pace of average rent growth has moderated,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB)

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TORONTO, April 15, 2014 – Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that “home buyers remained confident in purchasing condominium apartments during the first three months of 2014. This included first-time buyers and seasoned home owners looking to change their housing situation. Despite the condo market segment being well-supplied, strong sales growth translated into a robust increase in the average selling price.”

Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 4,454 condominium apartments sold through the TorontoMLS system in Q1 2014 – up nine per cent compared to 4,085 sales reported in Q1 2013. The average selling price for Q1 2014 transactions was up by 5.6 per cent year-over-year to $351,213. The City of Toronto accounted for 70 per cent of all condo apartment transactions, with 3,121 sales reported. The average selling price in the City was $376,226.

The supply of condo apartments listed for sale also edged up in the first three months of 2014. New listings reported during the quarter were up by 3.1 per cent year-over-year. Active listings at the end of the quarter were up by 1.8 per cent.

“The number of new condominium apartment completions was up substantially in 2014. Because of this, we could see stronger growth in listings in the second half of 2014 as some investors choose to list their units for sale. If this occurs, buyers would benefit from more choice in the marketplace and thus could have more negotiating power with regard to price,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

TORONTO, April 3, 2014 – Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported strong year-over-year increases in TorontoMLS home sales and the average selling price in March 2014. Home ownership affordability, backstopped by low borrowing costs, continued to be a key factor underlying this growth.

A total of 8,081 sales were reported in March 2014 – up by 7.2 per cent in comparison to March 2013. Sales growth was much stronger in March compared to the first two months of the first quarter. Sales for Q1 as a whole were up by three per cent compared to the first three months of 2013.

“Sales activity in the GTA accelerated last month. Compared to last year, a greater number of buyers found affordable home ownership options, as evidenced by sales growth for all major home types. Against this backdrop, however, overall inventory at the end of March remained lower than last year. This means competition between buyers increased, which is why the average selling price continued to climb,” said Ms. Usher.

The average selling price for March 2014 sales was $557,684 – an increase of almost eight per cent compared to the average reported for March 2013. The average price for the first quarter of 2014 was up by 8.5 per cent year-over-year.

“With borrowing costs remaining low, and in fact declining, strong home ownership demand will continue to butt up against a constrained supply of listings. Strong price growth will be the result for the remainder of 2014. If the pace of price growth experienced in the first quarter is sustained, TREB may revise its outlook for the average selling price,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

TORONTO, March 19, 2014 – Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 3,459 transactions through the TorontoMLS system during the first two weeks of March 2014. This result for the TREB market area as a whole was virtually unchanged in comparison to 3,464 transactions completed during the same period in 2013.

“Despite the poor weather conditions experienced during the first half of March, an abundance of willing buyers were actively searching for a home to purchase. However, many of these people continued to be affected by the enduring shortage of single-detached, semi-detached and townhouse listings, which means that in some cases they could not find a home on which to make an offer, or they were facing stiff competition from other buyers,” said Ms. Usher.

For all home types combined in the GTA, the average selling price was $560,948 – up by almost six per cent in comparison to the average price for the same time frame in 2013. The semi-detached market segment in the City of Toronto led the way in terms of price growth during the first 14 days of March, with a year-over-year increase of more than ten per cent.

“Semi-detached houses represent a more affordable ownership option for some households. Because of this, some semi-detached listings have attracted many interested buyers. This competition has served to exert strong upward pressure on the average selling price,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

“The average single-detached price was down slightly in the City of Toronto year over year because of a smaller share of luxury deals this year compared to last. Tight market conditions will continue to drive strong detached price growth in 2014,” added Mercer.

TORONTO, March 5, 2014 – Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that February 2014 home sales reported by Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® were up by 2.1 per cent compared to the same period last year. Total February sales amounted to 5,731 compared to 5,613 last year.

“Despite the continuation of inclement weather in February, we did see a moderate uptick in sales activity last month. The sales increase was largely driven by resale condominium apartments. New listings of resale condominium apartments were up on a year-over-year basis, giving buyers ample choice. This is in contrast to the listings situation for singles, semis and townhomes, where supply continued to be constrained. Some would-be buyers had difficulty finding a home that met their needs,” said Ms. Usher.

“If we see renewed growth in listings for low-rise home types, the pace of sales growth will accelerate as we move through the year,” Ms. Usher continued. The average selling price for February 2014 sales was up by 8.6 per cent to $553,193, compared to the average of $509,396 reported for February 2013. The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) Composite Benchmark was up by 7.3 per cent year-over-year.

“While the strong price growth experienced over the last year should prompt an improvement in the supply of listings, sellers’ market conditions will continue to prevail this year. Home prices, on average, will trend upwards at a pace well-above the rate of inflation. The impact of strong price growth on affordability will be mitigated by low borrowing costs,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

TORONTO, February 19, 2014 – Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that “sales growth has rebounded so far in February after a slow start to the year in January. While new listings were still down in comparison to last year, the annual rate of decline was less than experienced last month. This may point to an improvement in the listings situation moving forward, which would help alleviate some of the pent-up demand that currently exists in the marketplace.”

Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 2,767 sales through the TorontoMLS system during the first 14 days of February. This result was up by 1.3 per cent in comparison to 2,731 transactions reported during the same period in 2013. New listings were down by 6.1 per cent on a year-over-year basis.

“Price growth well above the rate of inflation will be the norm for the remainder of the year. Over the same period, mortgage rates are expected to remain low, thereby keeping home ownership affordable in the GTA,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

The average selling price during the first two weeks of February 2014 was $547,107 – up 7.8 per cent compared to the average of $507,474 for the first 14 days of February 2013.

TORONTO, February 5, 2014 – Home ownership in the Greater Toronto Area remains affordable and there are many people looking to purchase a home. In January, the number of homes listed for sale was down quite strongly compared to last year, which means that it was difficult for some buyers to find a home.

Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 4,135 sales through the TorontoMLS system in January 2014. This result was down by 2.2 per cent in comparison to January 2013. New listings entered into the system were down over the same period by 16.6 per cent to 8,822.

“Looking forward, it is possible that strong price growth, and therefore an increase in home equity, will act as a trigger for more households to list their homes for sale. This is especially the case for households whose life styles are changing, including those with an expanding family looking for a larger home or empty nesters looking to downsize,” said Dianne Usher, President, Toronto Real Estate Board.

The average selling price for January 2014 sales was $526,528 – up by more than nine per cent compared to $482,080 in January 2013.

“The pace of price growth will remain strong in 2014. Similar to last year, competition between buyers for singles, semis and town homes in the City of Toronto and surrounding regions will continue to exert upward pressure on selling prices. At the same time, mortgage rates will remain near historic lows, so despite strong price growth, home ownership will remain affordable for the average household in the GTA,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.